Angel Boy
by dragonfly gypsy
Summary: Harry is visited by the Fates, who tell him that they made a mistake with his life. As they show him how he should have grown up, he wonders what life without the Dursleys would be like. But what's this about Snape? [becomes AU]
1. What Has Been

_Disclaimatis! _Nothing you recognise is mine, I'm just playing with them while JKR's back is turned. She hasn't noticed yet. Shhh! I usually clean them up after. (Don't sue, all I've got is a few tim tams.) Creative criticism welcome, howlers will be returned by Myrtle.

Gypsy

CHAPTER ONE: **What Has Been**

He'd had this dream for the past few nights. He wasn't complaining. It was fairly tame, as far as his dreams usually went. Anything was better than Voldemort or his parents dying or Sirius dying or Dumbledore dying…. He felt safe in this place. In a kind of abstract, passive way, he felt loved, cared for. In a way that didn't demand anything at all of him. He liked that.

The dream was a curiosity in itself, in that nothing actually happened. He was just sitting in a room which looked a bit like the common room, only it wasn't. Nothing ever happened, no-one walked past, and he never did anything. It was just a place.

So when he was there the sixth night in a row and someone actually walked into his dream room, he stood, a little surprised. She was normal-looking, he supposed. Muggle-type normal, around his age, long brown hair, blue-ish eyes, plain face, jeans and, strangely, a Weasley jumper.

"Do I know you?" Harry asked in his dream. He eyed the jumper; it was green with a black infinity symbol on it, instead of an initial. What did that mean?

"No, you don't, but we know you, Harry."

He looked around for others, but there was only her. "We? What's your name?"

She shook her head. "I am we. All of us. We are one."

Great, he thought, even his dream-people had delusions of grandeur. "Okay," he said slowly, "but do you have a name?"

"You may call us Parcae."

"'Parcae', uh, that's… _The Fates_?"

She sat down, nodding. "History of Magic finally proving useful?" she grinned. He remained standing, eying her warily.

"Why are you here?" It seemed rude to add what he had been thinking: _because I like this space empty_.

"We created this place so you would feel comfortable here."

"And?"

"We have come to tell you that you shouldn't _be_ here."

He blinked. _Huh?_

"Not _here_," she gestured round the room, "we mean in this life. We are going to give you a better chance, Harry. We are going to show you an alternate world, the way your life should be."

Harry wondered if this was all merely wishful thinking, a product of his own mind.

"It happened wrong, you see."

"Er, what did?" Harry asked.

"Your life, Harry," she answered simply.

Harry snorted. "Tell me something I don't know," he muttered.

"You feel bitter, angry," she said calmly. "And you should."

Now she was sounding too much like Dumbledore for his tastes. He tended to get fed up and irritated with people quickly these days. "Are you going to apologise, too? Say it was your fault, but could I look past an old man's mistakes? Or a spirit's, whatever."

She did not seem at all perturbed by his attitude. In fact, she was grinning. "No," she answered, matter-of-fact. "We are going to fix it."

Now she had his attention. Still cautious, he asked, "How?"

"We go back to the fork in the road. The moment that could have been handled differently. That should have been handled differently."

Harry was getting really frustrated now. "Look, are you going to answer in riddles or actually explain what's going on?" he asked with exasperation.

She smiled and patted the seat next to her. After a small hesitation, he sat.

"Some years ago," she began, "there was a prophecy about you. Prophecies, Harry, are simply pieces of information that we give you early. We craft one when we sense that you will need to be prepared. It was our job to make sure that this one was given to the Seer who would reveal it to Albus Dumbledore. He, in turn, was to take care of matters after Voldemort tried to kill you."

Her face tensed a little, and it was the first non-cheerful expression he'd seen on her face. "But he didn't. He didn't have the resources. He did the best he could," she broke off when Harry snorted. "He did, Harry, believe that. But he should have been able to do more. We had created a situation that made it impossible. Your parents, Sirius Black, the Dursleys.

"We gave Trelawny the prophecy for Dumbledore to hear, and everything went as it should. Or so we thought. But we didn't realised that our mistake had already been made."

Harry thought for sure that she was going to say something about Sirius and Pettigrew, but instead another name came from her lips.

"Severus Snape is your father, Harry. But no-one knew, not even Snape himself."

Harry stared at her. Snape?

_Snape_.

His mother had _dated_ Snape. Had….urgh…with _Snape_. A bizarre image struck him: a teenaged Severus Snape, hook nose, greasy limp hair, with an awkwardly-not-quite-adult gangly walk and the ever-present scowl, snogging in the Astronomy Tower.

He snorted. He tried to put his mother into the cartoon-like scene and was disappointed when he couldn't. While it was easy to imagine one of his school mates or professors in any situation, he couldn't grasp a clear image of his mother. He didn't know her well enough. He only had one memory of her that had not been defiled by Voldemort, and it wasn't even his. In Snape's Penseive, the Marauders had –

Wait. Snape's pensieve. She'd defended him. Was _that_ what he hadn't wanted Harry to see? That he and Lily had feelings for each other? Were there other memories like that in the pensieve? He must have been jealous of James …. and perhaps he had never let go of that…

Was that why he hated Harry and made his life hell? Had he loved Lily Evans? Maybe he saw Harry as proof of his own failures, or as something that could have been his.

Harry looked up, realisations buzzing around in his head like a disturbed hornet's nest. His thoughts seemed irritated with one another, dodging each other and zooming back and forth without destination.

The girl stared back at him with a passive little smile. Harry stood suddenly, for some reason, very pissed off that she seemed to be aware that she'd dropped a bombshell and was happily waiting for him to _catch up_. He blustered about for half a minute, annoyed there was nothing in the room to fiddle with, wondering what the hell was going on.

After a moment of aimless pacing, he huffed and sat back down, recognising there was nothing he could achieve by it.

She continued as if he hadn't moved at all. "Lily and Severus were friends with similar interests. That's where most of the animosity between he and the Marauders came from. After spending a few years studying together, they began a romantic relationship in their seventh year at Hogwarts. It wasn't exactly heavens-singing, one-true-soulmate love, but it was enough.

"Then he pushed her away for her own safety. Malfoy was after him to join the Death Eaters, through orders from Voldemort. She turned to her other friends, the Marauders, for comfort. That they gave her. After a while – a long time, Harry, she did love Snape – she and James got married. One year later, she gave birth to you, Severus' son."

The look on Harry's face made her laugh. "You're so Muggle sometimes," she giggled, ruffling his hair. "Have you ever heard of a child born out of wedlock in the wizarding world? Or a family not being prepared for a child?" She didn't give him time to think, let alone give an answer. "There is a spell you can place on a conceived foetus before it reaches three months. This Stasis spell can be held for up to five years, it's purpose was to give the parents-to-be time enough to create a safe environment for a child.

"The reason there are so many witches and wizards two and three years younger than you, Harry, is that those couples who conceived during the bad years leading up to the night at Godric's Hollow, chose to remove the spell shortly after you vanquished him."

Harry's subconscious decided at that moment that nothing else could surprise him, so he listened with attention rather than complete disbelief. "But my mother did it to protect Snape?"

"She did it for you and Severus and herself. She hadn't had the chance to tell Severus she was pregnant, so James was the only one who knew. The spell was his suggestion when she came to him distraught over her break-up."

She sighed. "Snape became a Death Eater, the prophecy was made, Pettigrew betrayed the Potters, Voldemort came, Sirius was sent to Azkaban and Snape went to Dumbledore in his grief."

"That was the mistake?" Harry now had a good idea where this was leading, and was waiting for her to say it. That his parents shouldn't have died, that they shouldn't have switched secret keepers.

"We're sorry, Harry," she said with true sorrow. "It was unavoidable. The Potters were destined to lay down their lives for you. Even we cannot completely change fate. But we can nudge it a little."

He lowered his head, defeated. It had been too good to be true, of course. Things like this always were. "So?" he said sullenly. "What's good about that? How can you make this better?"

"She never told Severus about you. And we let it slide," she answered. "Severus was Marked shortly after he pushed Lily away. If he had known about you, no matter that you were to be named a Potter, he would have had something to live for. He wouldn't have taken the Mark."

"But what about my – about James?"

"Snape would not have begrudged James his own wife's baby. Remember the reason he'd pushed her away: they'd be safer."

"Fat lot of good it did."

"_Safer_, Harry, not safe. If you had been the son of Lily and Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy would have been ordered to kill you to ensure Snape became a Death Eater. Malfoy, not Voldmort, and the prophecy would never have been fulfilled, Voldemort would have won. And before you ask," she held up a hand, "it wasn't Neville. He just happened to fit the description."

"So how should it have been?"

"Had Snape known about you, he would _not_ have taken the Dark Mark. He would have been able to claim you as his son that night, in a Voldemort-free world."

"No Dursleys?"

"No Dursleys, Harry. And Sirius would have been cleared. Everything is a chain reaction. Lucius Malfoy, for example, was never supposed to have the influence he does in the Ministry. That came inadvertantly because Snape was a Death Eater. However much he regretted the decision, things he had done and was forced to do had consequesnces. It was through Snape that Pettigrew was able to remain in hiding. But without that indirect help, and the fact that Snape would be hell-bent on finding justice for his son, Pettigrew would be caught a year after the incident and Black cleared."

She leant back into the sofa to wait for his reaction.

"Are you saying that I have the chance to do it all again?" he asked. "That you'll fix this one little thing and the world will be all different?"

"It seems impossible, doesn't it, that such a little thing could change the world? For almost twenty years, it has seemed not to matter." She looked directly into his eyes then. "Harry. We wanted to stop and help you before this, but we sensed only _your_ need for a better life, and that is not enough for us to interfere. Recently, though, we have sensed the need of the world. In this life, Harry, you will die to Voldemort. If we continue down this path, you will fail."

Harry blinked. He had often felt his own inadequecy regarding the prophecy, unsure that he was so special; to hear it like this took his breath for a moment.

"We'll come again tomorrow night, Harry, to show you how it should have been. Sleep well."

He hardly noticed her leaving, but he spent a few more hours in that room before he woke.

He spent most of the next day in a daze, just going through the motions of his seventh year classes. He realised he hadn't for one moment not believed his dream to be true. Was it just a product of his warped imagination begging for a way out? Or was it true? It made just as much sense as not. Something like that was just the icing on the cake of his life. Every time he seemed to find his equilibrium, another twist was shoved at him.

Harry thought about the events that defined his existence. He'd thought he was an orphan with a not-so-grand home life. Nothing so strange there. But no, he was a wizard. An ordinary wizard? _No_, he was a hero, his parents were heroes and the world knew his best friends' names and how he liked his tea. One of his professors was acting strange… didn't every school have an eccentric teacher or two? _No_, this one had a revengeful evil spirit living in his skull.

He'd set a snake free. Okay, Hagrid often let worse things out on the students, but _no_, that was also bad. Voldemort, The Great Wanker, had made him Slytherin's heir by default, so now he was a hero of both Gryffindor _and_ Slytherin. Then he discovered that plenty of other freaks and abnormalities just happened to be closely associated with him. An infamous convict had been his parents' best friend. The professor who taught Defence Against the Dark Arts – incidentally classified as a Dark Creature himself – was _also_ a dear friend of his parents.

The next teacher wasn't even a _regular_ freak, but was an evil freak disguised as good freak. This one had rigged an entire inter-school competition _in Harry's favour_ in order to sacrifice him to the aforementioned Great Wanker. Well, that just made perfect sense, didn't it? Then fake prophetic warnings had been inserted into his already-questionable state of mind, which, in effect, turned out to be true.

Now his arch nemesis, it transpired, had deposited parts of himself in all sorts of places to insure against complete destruction (well, who didn't now-a-days?), and the man who had killed the only person with any real power in his life was his father.

Figured.

When he got to Potions, he could hardly sit still. Hermione only slightly misinterpreted his worry.

"Why are you so jittery? It's not as if Professor Snape will be teaching potions ever again. Ron has been celebrating his departure all summer."

"What?" That had been pretty close to the direction of his own thoughts, if with a completely different meaning. If he had grown up with Snape, what would Potions class have been like? Would Snape even be the professor?

Would Harry know – understand – the enigma that would be Severus Snape, Potions Master and Non-Ex-Death Eater? He'd always been fascinated by the fact that such a dislikable man, to put it mildly, was for all intents and purposes, good. Until he killed Dumbledore. Even then…

He felt that he'd kind of missed out on that opportunity somehow. The chance to use his Slytherin side. The Hat had said that the serpents' house would help him find his way to greatness… Parcae said he would fail on his current path. Would he have been better off as a Slytherin? Would he be able to defeat Voldemort as a Slytherin?

That night, he made an excuse to go to bed early and luck was with him, he fell asleep fairly easily. He was both excited and terrified to be in that room again. But once he was there, he was filled with a calm sense of purpose.

"Hello, Harry."

tbc

Thanks to the wonderful Ladybug.


	2. What Could Have Been: Part 1

Enjoy! (Disclaimer in Chapter 1)

Gypsy

CHAPTER TWO: **What Could Have Been – Part I**

"Hello, Harry."

He nodded at her and sat quickly, not knowing what to say. She gestured to where, in all his previous dreams, the coffee table had been between the two sofas. In its place tonight was a shallow puddle, as if someone had spilled a glass of water on the stone floor.

"Are you ready to see?"

He hunched forward, hands braced on the sofa between his knees, and looked at the pool. The surface shimmered, and he saw the corridor outside the Room of Requirement. A pretty girl was leaning agaist the wall there – wait. He looked closer. It was his mother.

Lily.

He stared at her, trying to take in as many details as possible, burn her image into his memory. Her long red-blond hair, her green eyes, her petite figure. He watched her worry her bottom lip in nervousness and wondered what she was anxious about. Her expression turned to apprehension when James Potter arrived.

Messy black hair, Harry's own facial features. He did look a lot like his foster father, he realised. James' face mirrored the concern Harry felt over Lily's fretting.

"_James, what will he say?" she whispered, clutching his arm._

"_I guess we'll find out," he said simply, tapping her nose affectionately. He walked up and down the corridor three times and the door appeared. Just as they were about to enter, Severus Snape walked up to them cautiously._

"_Potter," he acknowledged tersely. "Lily," he added a little quieter. James guestured for them all to go inside._

_When the boys had settled into the sofas opposite each other and Lily was nervously pacing around near the fireplace, James took a breath._

"_Snape," he began, "I know we've never been friends, but-" the Slytherin snorted, but James ploughed on, "but Lily and I are best friends, and you two were going out. That connects us."_

_Severus rolled his eyes. "Typical Gryffindor logic," he muttered._

_James ignored the comment. "She's in trouble, and we need to talk to you."_

_All the contempt left Snape's face. "Lily? What's wrong?" He was fighting not to go to her._

_She turned to face him, placing her hands gently, reverently, on her stomach, and Severus understood. He closed his eyes. "Mine?" he whispered._

"_Yes." She had tears on her cheeks, but her radiant smile left no question about her feelings for the child and its father._

_He didn't fight the urge this time. He went to her, his arms around her and his cheek against hers. His hand touched her stomach with awe._

"_When will it…?"_

_James answered softly, not wanting to be too harsh. "That's what we wanted to talk to you about. Lily, come sit down." He patted the chair next to him. She sat, but pulled Severus to sit next to her._

"_We have thought of something we can do, but we didn't want to make any decisions without you," James said respectfully. "No-one else knows about this. The others know that you broke up, but not really why. Lily told me everything. We all know what's going on outside the castle. We have be careful."_

_He paused for Severus to answer. Severus clutched Lily's hand. "Yes?" he asked, his voice catching. He cleared his throat. "What do you propose, Potter?" he said rather stiffly, though without the usual scorn when addressing his classmate._

"_We think we should put the Stasis spell on the baby. Then if things go well in the next few years, you could marry and remove the spell."_

_Severus knew how likely that would be. "And in the much more probable event that it doesn't?"_

"_She can marry me and I will take care of them both. We'll charm him to look like my son."_

_Snape grit his teeth. The glass he was holding cracked under the pressure he was exerting over it. Lily jumped. He swore, dropping the pieces and extracting a sliver from his palm. _

"_Do you love her?" Snape asked James, point blank. Lily shook her head as if to say 'of course not, silly', but James looked down, caught._

"_Yes," he whispered. Then his head came up, and he said louder, "yes."_

_Lily put a hand to her mouth. "James?" she asked incredulously, her other hand still holding Severus'. "You… but why didn't you…"_

"_You were happy," he said simply, gesturing to the two of them, "and it doesn't change the fact that we're best friends."_

_Overcome, she closed her eyes. James and Severus stared at each other for almost a whole minute before they broke eye contact. After a moment, without looking up, Snape said, "All right."_

"_Huh? You agree?" James was surprised, to say the least._

"_Are you deaf!" he cried. "I know as well as you it's the best option, but I don't have to like it."_

_Potter nodded, serious again. He glanced back at Lily, who was sitting with quiet tears in her eyes, looking at Severus. James looked back again. _

"_I promise I'll look after them. She's my best friend." He left the room, letting the two say their goodbyes. If Snape was going to escape Malfoy, he would have to leave Britain altogether._

The image rippled and then Harry could see the stone floor again. He sat back. His brain had not really managed to get past seeing his mother and fath– James again for the significance of the scene to register.

"So," she began, "this is the turning point, the crucial moment. Because this never happened…" she trailed off. "Harry?"

He jerked his head back up. He had seen James' fierce protection of his mother. He'd seen a smile on her face, however fleeting. And Snape hadn't been so bad-looking, he realised with some surprise, although still rather tetchy.

But he hadn't a clue what they'd said. "Er…"

"Do you want to watch it again?"

Sheepishly, he nodded. After the second viewing, he nodded his understanding. He looked at her, wondering what was next.

"So Snape leaves the country for safety. Then nothing else changes until the night the Potters were killed," she said as the pool shimmered again.

_Grey smoke choked the air, but failed to hide the Dark Mark, hovering like a sentinel over the remains of a house. It looked as if it could have been called cosy. A man dressed in black stumbled up the path unsteadily towards the destroyed cottage._

_"You promised!" he yelled, his voice raw with emotion. "You promised you'd look after them!" he screeched, falling to his knees in the debris, swollen eyes taking in the blackened remains of his Lily's home. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he wrenched away, staggering up to his feet. He saw Black, tears falling freely down his face, a deadened look in his eyes. It was the first time he'd seen the mutt not bouncing off the bloody walls._

_"Snape. You should know," he said, getting the words out one by one, concentrating on giving the message. "Harry survived."_

_"Harry?" Severus stepped closer. "Where is he? **Where is he**!"_

"_Dumbledore has him. Wait, Snape!"_

_But Snape had Apparated away. Sirius Black was still looking at the house, distracted, when the Aurors Apparated in behind him._

Harry sat back on the sofa, scrubbing his eyes. It had been a very short scene, but it was hard to see even Snape with such powerful grief. Knowing the house was his parents', and that Sirius would not be free for long hadn't helped.

"What happened after that?" he asked quietly.

"He took you back to Prince Manor. A mediwizard's charm and the Potters' wills proved you to be his son and the papers were signed. After seeing Sirius at Godric's Hollow that night, Severus believed he was innocent, and, with Remus Lupin, searched tirelessly for Pettigrew. For your sake he hunted the rat down and turned him over to the Aurors within a year. All charges against your godfather were dropped, so he and Remus returned to live close to you.

"Sirius' cousin, Narcissa Malfoy, also had her life turned upside down by this event. Or perhaps, right-side-up. Pettigrew incriminated many Death Eaters, including Lucius, with solid proof, and Malfoy was sentenced to the Kiss. Narcissa was glad to be rid of him and his influence over their son."

Draco.

"So do I meet Malfoy before Hogwarts?" he asked.

"You're practically brothers."

He screwed up his features in distaste. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"I want to show you a few short episodes from your life that could have been, Harry. Tell me, what are the things you feel the most strongly about not having at the Dursleys'?"

He didn't have to think hard. "Friends, family, birthdays and not knowing who I was."

"Let's look at these then," she nodded, gesturing to the water.

_A child's bedroom at night, with the soft glow of a nightlight. A dark-haired figure was sitting upright next to a small lump in the covers, telling a story. Another person could just be seen, hovering in the hall._

"_Once, there was a little boy. He was a very special boy, because he was like an angel. A very bad wizard came to the little boy's house, because he didn't like the little boy or his mummy and daddy. But the little boy made the bad man go away, so everyone called the little boy an Angel. The little boy grew up with his other Daddy and his friends. Then he started learning all sorts of things about magic ..."_

"_Like me, Daddy?"_

"_Yes, Harry, just like you. You see, everyone knew the bad man might come back one day, so everyone needed the Angel to protect them. So the Boy Angel learnt lots of things that would help him send the bad man away so he would never come back. One day, the boy went to school and made lots of new friends who were witches and wizards like him. Older witches and wizards taught him how to do many things, until he was better than anyone else. When the bad wizard came to the school, he didn't expect that the Angel Boy would be very good at magic. The bad wizard tried to hurt the students but the Angel made him go away forever."_

"_The Angel Boy made the bad wizard go away forever?" little Harry repeated, drowsy. He was almost alseep, so didn't hear Severus say very quietly, "I hope so, Harry. I hope you can."_

_Snape closed the door carefully after kissing the boy's cheek. Sirius was waiting for him in the hallway. "Angel Boy?" he asked with a grin._

"_He has to know, he'll need to know. All the other children are being told nearly the same story. I'll gradually tell him more details as he gets older."_

_Sirius waved a hand to stop him. "I know why you're doing it, but really – '**Angel Boy'**?"_

_Severus sneered. "I can hardly tell him it's him, can I? He's three – too young yet. I have to ease the idea into his mind slowly, have some sense. And I am not about to call him 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' like the rest of the world. How common." He glared at the Animagus. Sirius didn't back down. "All right," he sighed. "It was Draco, the silly boy," he complained with affection. "Narcissa got it into her head to make it a real fairytale. She called him an Angel once and Draco latched onto it immediately. He's always asking her to tell him the 'Angel Boy' story."_

_Sirius just chuckled. "Angel Boy," he muttered to himself, shaking his head as he walked away._

The puddle rippled, but stilled again almost straight away. It showed a series of images from what was obviously a child's birthday party. Harry saw himself, happily blowing out four candles; a blonde boy trying to sneak a bit of icing before he was given any cake; a magical game he could not identify involving colourful bubbles that the children were chasing; himself unwrapping presents with unequaled joy; Snuffles tearing around in the wrapping paper with various children on his back; finally himself sitting in a corner with a toy, but it wasn't working, or little Harry couldn't figure it out.

He grunted in distress, yanking at the box again, and looking around for someone. In a language that only passes between a parent and their child, Severus sensed the little boy's frustration, and disengaged himself from his conversation, kneeling next to his son.

"_Harry?" he asked softly. "What's the matter?"_

_Unable to describe his torment, Harry apparently decided it wasn't worth it, discarded the box, and lifted both arms to his father, whimpering a vague request._

"_Yes, yes," Severus mumbled soothingly in his ear as he swept him off the floor, "you're very tired, aren't you?" Harry buried his face into Severus' shoulder and stuck a thumb in his mouth. Severus knew that Harry, quiet at the best of times except when alone with Draco, wouldn't say anything at all for the rest of the party._

_He settled himself in the most comfortable sofa in the room and let Harry burrow into him. Putting the birthday boy down for a nap would be useless, he knew, with so many people in the house. Any distance or unfamiliar people between them would make him uneasy, he would be much calmer in his father's arms._

_Without really thinking about his actions, Snape lowered his cheek onto the top of his son's feathery black hair and crooned nonsense to soothe him._

_With many of the other children becoming tired, restless and grouchy, (Harry's party had been going for over two hours), the guests started to depart. With a cursory exchanged glance with their host in way of thanks and a parting guesture, they Flooed away._

_Soon only Draco, asleep in the pile_ _of torn and discarded gift wrap, his mother, and Sirius remained. _

_"I'll put him in the second bedroom," she told Severus quietly, gently lifting her son with a spell, so as not to jostle him awake as she moved him. Sirius sighed and flopped gracelessly onto the other couch._

_"Really, Black," Snape smirked, while trying to keep his voice low, "you'd think that a Marauder would have no trouble keeping track of merely six children. Though whether you're their equal in mental capacity…"_

"_Sod off," Sirius said with spirit. "I notice you played the perfect host and didn't deign to get your hands dirty in sacrifice for their amusement."_

"_No, we already have enough animals in this house. I can only thank providence you didn't give them all fleas."_

_Sirius only snorted, resting his head back and closing his eyes. Narcissa reappeared, as did Dobby with a tea service, popping back out once his duty was complete. She sipped her tea daintily. _

"_I noticed a few little things today," she began, looking from her cousin to her friend, her tone all business. Sirius roused himself and sat up, all attention._

"_As did I," Severus answered. "Dobby, take Harry and put him to bed," he instructed the house-elf, who popped back in when summoned and placed his hands on the young boy, who was now fast asleep, and they both disappeared._

"_You'll have to start training him," Narcissa said. _

_The things she was referring to had not escaped the notice of any of Harry's family. He was at the incidental magic stage – making something happen simply because he wanted it to. Unlike other wizarding children, these events were not in the same vein as summoning a toy, or replenishing a glass of juice._

_Harry never liked being in a crowd, but society was Draco's element. Twice, Harry had gently 'pushed' the children in the playing area away from himself to secure a comfort zone, or to clear a visible path to his 'brother', from whom he drew comfort. _

_The children and other adults had barely noticed this, but soon these incidents would most likely become more obvious and more creative. His family was conscious of teaching him control before he became dangerous._

"_Dammit," Sirius_ _swore, "Can't he be a kid for a bit longer?"_

_"I will not be treating him as any age but his own, Black. He will not be pushed beyond his limits."_

_"But he'll be pushed to them, for sure," Sirius grumbled._

_"Sirius," Narcissa said gently, "we can make this like any other game we play. Our sons will begin learning how to use their magic. Draco will never reach Harry's strength, but that does not mean we will treat them any differently from each other. They won't know the difference between playing on toy brooms to using actual spells. To them it will be natural. Just as any child learns to grow up."_

The puddle rippled again, and when it stilled, showed lots of grass, and two figures rolling in it.

"_Argh! Not **fair**, Drake, I had it first!"_

"_Didn't!"_

"_Did!"_

"_Didn't!" the five-year-old blond shrieked. Draco brandished the stick they were using as a 'wand' at Harry, giving it a very pompous and over-articulated flourish before announcing, "Pettiff'cus Total-sus!" and then, "Hey! You're s'posed to fall down flat!"_

_But Harry had other ideas. He ignored the way they usually played their game, he just wanted to get the wand back. "Mine!" he yelled, reaching his hand out to it. The stick leapt out of Draco's hand and sailed over to Harry. Triumphant, he poked his tongue out at the other boy. Screeching in indignation, Draco tackled Harry and pulled at the stick. _

_The battle continued for some mintues, until Narcissa Malfoy walked out onto the grass. "Draco, Harry, it's bathtime." _

_They groaned together, and, immediately united against a common enemy, quit the struggle and turned their cherubic faces and wide eyes towards their mother and godmother respectively._

_"Honestly, that only works on Sirius. In! Dobby will bathe you."_

_Any further attempts to dodge this completely unfair part of their daily routine were halted by a quiet, "Boys," from an upstairs window._

_Harry's daddy was **much** scarier than Draco's mummy, so they scampered inside on the double._

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Malfoy _and_ Snape. For the life of him, despite a very strong inclination, he couldn't summon the hatred, disgust, or even contempt that he usually felt for the pair.

Malfoy was just a normal little boy. Severus looked like a capable, caring father, and he was _friends_ with Sirius! They _chose_ to be in each other's company. That was …good, wasn't it?

If he was honest with himself, he'd admit to feeling a few pangs of… not jealousy, there was no-one to be jealous of… but a sort of wistful longing. He had once told Ron, quite seriously, that anything would have been better than the Dursleys; now that he was shown an alternative, he was unwilling to dismiss it instantly simply because of who it featured.

Maybe, given an alternate set of circumstances, both Malfoy and Snape would be quite different. Oh, he was sure they'd still be arrogant, elitist Slytherins, but they would be his family. Narcissa didn't constantly look like something had died under her nose. Which could have been from the absence of her husband, he supposed.

Was this reality even possible? The presence of a recognisable Sirius helped a lot, he realised. He could tell that Padfoot was still the Marauder he'd known, and was happier, given eleven less years in Azkaban. He longed to see he godfather again, remembering the wonderful but far too brief relationship they had shared. To imagine growing up with him as a constant presence made his heart ache.

He looked to Parcae, ready for the next installment. He was now prepared to accept this as a better alternative, deciding to swallow his pride where the Slytherins were concerned. If _Sirius_ could get over Snape, then why couldn't he?

tbc

Much thanks and love to Ladybug


	3. What Could Have Been: Part 2

Disclaimer in Chapter 1

Thanks to all my reviewers...you rock!

Gypsy

CHAPTER THREE: **What Could Have Been – Part II**

He looked to Parcae, ready for the next installment. He was now prepared to accept this as a better alternative, deciding to swallow his pride where the Slytherins were concerned. If _Sirius_ could get over Snape, then why couldn't he?

She raised her eyebrows in question, and he realised she was asking what he wanted to see next.

"Malfoy's mother said I'd have to be trained, even at that age…"

_Harry, six years old, was wrestled to the ground by a large black dog. They rolled in the grass, loud giggles escaping him in bursts. The dog barked a few times and bounced around him, then went in for the kill. Mercilessly, he nuzzled all the boy's ticklish spots, never letting him recover._

"_Black, really," Snape admonished from the deck chair. "He'll get a stomach ache if you don't let him breathe."_

_The big black dog morphed into a tall man with hair just as shaggy. "Aw, c'mon, Snape, he likes it!"_

_Severus ingored the plea. "Harry? Let's show Siruis what you've learnt."_

"_Okay!" Harry crowed. He loved this part. Every Saturday, Sirius would come and play, and then he would show him the different things he'd done with Daddy. Today's trick was one they'd been working on for months. He stood up, motioned for his godfather to stay back, and scrunched up his face in the most adorable expression of concentration Sirius had ever seen._

_Sirius' smile competely dropped from his face, however, when he saw a tiger cub sitting where his godson had been. _

"_Merlin," he breathed, glancing at Snape. The other man nodded slowly. "He's six," Sirius croaked, "how on earth has he manged to become an Animagus at **six**?"_

"_Wait."_

_He turned back to the tiger cub, who was jumping up and playfully batting at Sirius' hair where it swung past his chin._

"_Harry," Snape called, and the cub bounded a few feet towards his father. "The other now."_

_The cub stopped and sat still for a minute. Then a few seconds later he was gone. Sirius looked around, and almost stood but Severus stopped him._

"_Stop, he'll come to you."_

_Sure enough, a small black snake edged its way towards Siruis, hissing. The man, even a little scared, held completely still as the snake wound its way up his arm and onto his shoulders, then down his other arm._

_A second later a very cheeky giggle was heard from the grass, and Harry leapt back into his godfather's arms._

"_Didja see, Siri? Didja see me? I was a tiger," he made a growly face, "and then a black m- a, a black m…" he trailed off, looking at Severus._

"_Mamba, Harry."_

"_Mamba. Now I can play with Padfoot an' Moony!"_

_"You won't be playing with Moony for a few years, young man," Severus said firmly. "It's afternoon tea time. Go and wash up."_

_The boy sprang up and dashed into the house. Severus walked up to Sirius and offered him a hand up off the ground. He was still in shock._

_"Two forms, Sev? **Two**? There've only been three people in history known to have two forms. And none of them could change between them without returning to human."_

"_Why does it always surprise you when he does great things? We all knew he'd have amazing power."_

"_He's my little Harry, James' boy." At Severus' look, he held up his hands. "I know, sorry, your boy. But I knew him as a Potter for a year and a half… and that's a while ago now… but I just…" He looked down helplessly. "I guess I always saw the four of us together, all our kids rough-housing on the grass and being worried about skinned knees and falls from brooms."_

_Severus merely nodded._

_Another thought struck Sirius. "You do **know** how big black mambas get?"_

_Severus chuckled. "Yes, I do."_

Harry sat back, thinking. So he wasn't insane. Every now and then, during his life, he'd felt like he was … moving through molasses, like his mind was telling his body to do things it wasn't capable of. As if he had a potential that couldn't be reached, even though his subconscious knew he should.

If he had been trained properly, he would be able to tap into that power that the prophecy was talking about. He thought the bedtime story was disturbingly cute, especially coming from one as acerbic as the professor.

He wondered how the story had evolved over time. Snape had told Sirius about gradually changing the details… When did he know? When did he fully realise what it meant?

"How did they tell me about the prophecy?"

She paused before answering. "It was hard for them, Harry. You know what it's like to bear the information yourself, imagine knowing you must tell a child this, taking away their innocence long before it should be lost."

He nodded, appreciating the struggle it must have been for them.

"Whenever you asked why you had to train more that Draco, you were told 'because you have a special job to do'. This answer, as you got older, changed to 'you are the only one who can do it'. Severus added more details to the story he told you at night, each time your young mind drew a parallel to it and asked questions, like the fact that you had two fathers."

"You'd also been told the story of your mother. That she and the 'nice man' had been taken away by Voldemort. The details of this story also grew, until you were around eight, and the two stories had compelely merged to become, as Draco called you, 'Angel Harry'. Eventually, just before your tenth birthday, they filled in the blanks, explaining how serious it was and what the prophecy really meant."

He knew very well what it meant, and had no intention of getting into it now. He wanted to see something completely unrelated to his fate. "I don't suppose I'm any good at Potions, given who my father is?"

_Snape glanced at the time. "Harry, are you finished?"_

"_Almost, Dad. There's one step left," he answered, stirring his cauldron anti-clockwise and counting the strokes. "There," he said triumphantly when it turned from off-white to yellow and chalky. "All done."_

_He waited for his father's inspection and inevitable interrogation._

"_Why must you stir fifteen times and not eighteen like the other potions in its class?"_

"_Because the dragonfly wings will break down the chemicals in the elm sap too much."_

"_And why is that bad?"_

"_Really, Dad," Harry smirked, "That's a first-year question!"_

_Snape narrowed his eyes. "Therefore, you should be able to answer it correctly and succinctly, despite the fact that you are not yet in first year."_

_Harry slouched and answered with the air of one humouring a doddering aunt. "Elm sap is the active ingredient in the potion. The chemical compounds need to be separated just enough for the armadillo bile to react with the proteins in the sap, but not enough for the crushed scarabs to make it acidic. It is therefore balanced just between four and five on the pH scale," he recited, clearly bored with its simplicity._

_Snape nodded, indicating he was correct. He was never given more than that, but a wrong answer would have him scrubbing the benchtops for a week._

"_An adequate attempt, I suppose, Potter," came a drawl from the doorway._

"_Malfoy! When did you get here?"_

_The blond's 'public face' dropped and he shifted off the door frame, beckoning to his friend. "Just now. C'mon, got something to show you!" and he dashed off, with Harry on his heels._

"_Must you let them run in the house?" Draco's mother admonished gently, walking up to Snape as he greeted her with a kiss to her hand. _

"_They're eight-year-old boys, Cissy. **Must** you let him call **my** son 'Potter'?"_

_She smiled. "You know he only does it to annoy you. What will they be doing today, Severus?"_

"_We'll work on Occlumency and Legillimency."_

_She nodded her approval. "Draco brought Harry something," she began with a warning note in her voice._

"_I'll bet he did," Severus muttered. "What is it this time?"_

"_Some sort of relic from Lucius' study. But," she stopped him before he could yell at her or run to the boys, "it's been checked. The Aurors went over that room thoroughly, as you know."_

"_Very well," he said, still not happy. "But I will be inspecting it myself."_

"_Of that I had no doubt."_

Harry sat back, amazed at the simple but fundamental difference it was for him to be good – really good – at potions. His smile faded as he thought back over it.

"Why did Dra-Malfoy call me 'Potter'? I thought I was Harry Snape in this…" he gestured in an attempt to name it, "there."

"You were a Potter for over a year, before Voldemort marked you. People know that the famous and powerful Harry Snape was once called 'Potter', which is the name they use to recite the legend of the Boy-Who-Lived. They also know that you were retrieved by your true father after the incident, who changed your name to his."

She smiled conspiritorially. "I think the two of you love stirring up the rivalry that your father and godfather share from their schooldays. Draco calls you that to fan the flame."

Harry closed his eyes, imagining what it would be like. Family rivalry. To have someone close enough to know how to push your buttons. Sort of like himself with Ron and Hermione, he guessed, but moreso. He tried to put his finger on what it was, the difference between friends and family, but couldn't quite grasp the idea.

What he and Dudley had shared was indefinable. It wasn't really fighting, as that suggested momentary disorder within a caring relationship, as well as two equal participants. They were antagonistic, but Harry rarely spared the effort to care, only escaping when necessary, and occasionally teasing the lump with comments that went way over his head, a rather pointless exercise.

He'd been stunned, on several occasions, watching Ron and his brothers almost tear each other limb from limb, then twenty minutes later pass each other their favourite food along the dinner table. That the twins would prank their _mother_ as much as Percy. How exactly that worked, he hadn't a clue.

He wanted to know.

"Do Malfoy and I ever fight?"

She looked at him with her eyebrows raised. "All the time, whenever you weren't terrorising or conspiring against your parents."

He smiled. He would have hated to give up sparring with Malfoy. It was almost as much a part of him as his friendship with other Gryffindors.

"So I grow up with Malfoy, learning all sorts of cool stuff, training.. and then we go to Hogwarts, right?" Struck by a sudden horrifying thought, he said again, desperately, "Right?"

tbc

Love you, Ladybug!


	4. What Could Have Been: Part 3

Disclaimer in chapter 1. On with the show…..

Gypsy

CHAPTER FOUR: **What Could Have Been – Part III**

"So I grow up with Malfoy, learning all sorts of cool stuff, training.. and then we go to Hogwarts, right?" Struck by a sudden horrifying thought, he said again, desperately, "Right?"

She chuckled and waved a hand at the puddle.

"_Dad! Dad! Siri! Cissy!"_

"_Mum! Sev! Siri!"_

_Draco and Harry exploded into the lounge, brandishing letters in their hands, interrupting the adults' conversation. _

"_Hogwarts!"_

"_We got our letters!"_

"_Sit down," Narcissa said, patting the space next to her._

"_Quietly," Severus added._

"_Let's see!" Sirius jumped up, not seeing Severus' glare._

"_As if you don't know what they say," Harry said as he struggled playfully with Sirius, who was tugging on his letter to get a look himself._

"_Go on then," Narcissa smiled indulgently, "read them."_

_Harry and Draco stood in front of their family proudly and recited the letters in unison._

"_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."_

_Sirius let out a whoop and hugged them both again. "We'll go to Diagon Alley for your things tomorrow," he said. _

"_We shall," Severus said softly, "but there are things we must discuss."_

"_What is there to talk about, Snape?" Sirius asked, still beaming. "They're going to Hogwarts!"_

"_Yes," Snape replied. "Harry Snape is going to Hogwarts."_

"_Oh." Sirius sank into the nearest chair. "Damn."_

_Draco and Harry looked at each other. "What do you mean, Dad?" Harry asked. "Draco's coming, too."_

"_Yes, my dear," Narcissa responded softly, "but Draco isn't famous."_

_The boys sat, too._

"_Dobby," Narcissa called, "prepare lunch. We will have it in the garden."_

_When they were all settled outside with a pumpkin juice apiece, Severus began._

"_We have managed, through the course of your life, Harry, to keep you fairly hidden from the world." He held up a hand to stop Harry's protests. "You from it, not it from you. I am proud to say that you are one of the most well-adjusted and educated children I have come across."_

_Harry looked at his him, stunned. This type of praise was rarely heard from his taciturn father. Draco elbowed him._

"_Uh, thanks, Dad."_

"_Be that as it may," he continued, "you are different. In many ways. Here, we have aspired to give you the most normal upbringing and surroundings possible in the circumstances. But at school, this will not be the case._

"_The world is aware of the events surrounding Lily and James' deaths, but they know nothing of the prophecy. They would not understand, therefore, why you have trained so hard. This we must keep secret, or people may draw conclusions that will be close to correct, and this will create too much unease. They will expect you to be powerful, but not nearly as much as you are." He looked directly into Harry's eyes seriously. "Be careful how much you reveal and to whom."_

_Harry nodded, just as seriously, resolute not to let his family down._

_Narcissa continued. "You are famous. People will flock to you, as you have seen from short visits into such circuses as Diagon Alley, and people will want to be with you, be seen with you and know every detail about you."_

"_And then there will be those," Severus said, "who will covet your power, attempt to use it for their own ends, or seek protection."_

"_Or piss themselves whenever they see you."_

"_Oh, **thank** you Black, for summing up our point so effectively," Severus drawled. _

"_Well he even scares me, sometimes," the Animagus muttered, drawing a startled gasp from his godson._

"_Really?" Harry asked, looking like a lost child. "You're – afraid of me?"_

"_No, Stripes," he answered affectionately, "not of you. But your power is so great that I fear for you, often," he finished quietly._

"_Don't worry, Padfoot," Harry said, climbing onto the man's lap. "I'll have Draco to look after me."_

_Draco straightened in his chair, ready to accept the mantle of being Harry's Protector._

"_Yes, Draco," said his mother. "You have a job to do, now. Use your own power – your Malfoy name and your place in society – to distract people from Harry."_

_The boys looked a little confused. _

"_You'll probably be together most of the time," she explained, "so it is up to Draco to draw most of the attention onto himself and off Harry. When people see that Harry is quieter and less approachable than they thought, it will be easier to avoid them. They will know that if they want to get to Harry, they need to get through you first."_

_Harry grinned at his brother. "Good luck with that," he said, arching an eyebrow at Draco's small frame._

"_Not physically," Severus corrected as Draco whacked Harry's arm. "You have no need to be his bodyguard, Draco. He could protect the entire school single-handedly. Anyone truly wishing to be a friend will have to exert some effort to become friends with both of you, and by that test, we can assume they are in earnest."_

"_Be careful, Harry," Siruis said gravely, a rarely-seen expression for him. "You must be on your guard. There will be many people who will try to be your friends for their own purposes, then they'll drop you when it suits them. I don't want to see you hurt."_

"_I'll hex anyone who comes near him," Draco growled._

_Harry looked askance at him. "Well, I do want some friends, you know," he said._

_Draco looked abashed, but no less determined._

"_You must not push everyone away, but choose wisely, don't rush anything. Your instincts are good, and your magical senses will warn you of ill-intent." Narcissa concluded. "Keep up the public face we have taught you, and they will see you cannot be exploited."_

"_Yes, that is another matter," Severus said darkly. "There are not only students at school. The caution with which you make friends is also important to use with the professors. Do not trust them simply because they are teaching you. They must earn trust and respect, from both of you. And the Headmaster… He is a good man, but he is also worthy of a Slytherin's caution. He is adept at manipulation, and will alter a situation to his liking. Don't let him do that with you, even for the smallest things. Only do something if you wish to do it for your own reasons. Do you understand?"_

"_Yes, Dad," Harry said solemly, not wishing to let his father down. _

_Narcissa glanced at the men around the table before speaking, ready to defend her next point. "Whatever your housemates or the rest of your family say," she began, "make friends in all houses." She glared at Sirius and Severus when they began to argue. "All houses. This is important, boys," she turned to them again. "You will be told otherwise, but there is merit in all traits, and not only those in your own group will prove useful." _

_Harry nodded again, trying to remember everything they were being told._

_Sirius broke his concentration by tickling him. "It will be tough for you two to stay together so easily, though."_

"_Why?" Harry asked, squirming on his lap._

"_Being in different houses will separate you quite a bit."_

"_Different houses?" Severus asked slowly. "What ever do you mean, Black?"_

"_Well," he said with a huge grin, "The distance between the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms is quite a walk, as you should remember Severus."_

_Furious, Severus stood. "No son of mine will be in Gryffindor!" he roared._

_The boys giggled as the old battle was resumed, with no less passion than its early days. Narcissa ignored them and began her lunch._

"_Nonsense!" Sirius crowed. "Harry's a Lion if ever I saw one." _

"_Your eyesight certainly is going… We shall have to get you one of those Muggle seeing-eye dogs as a companion."_

"_There was a time you actually liked a Gryffindor, if I remember," Sirius needled._

"_Why is Harry going to school at all?" Draco said thoughtfully, and the adults quieted their argument. "It's not like he'll learn anything new."_

"_There is plenty he will learn," Narcissa answered. "It does not do for children to be in the same company forever. You will both make new friends, learn to live with the others in your House, work together, experience life through other people's eyes. Even in your classes, there is value in learning from different instructors."_

"_And most importantly," Sirius added, "you'll play Quidditch!"_

Harry laughed at Sirius, suddenly wishing the man was right there beside him. He missed his godfather fiercely, and stared at the fading image of him until it disappeared. His family.

A vague uneasy feeling crept into the back of his mind. This was all too good. There had to be something… Oh.

His stomach clenched. Being friends with Malfoy would probably mean… "Ron? Hermione?"

The water showed the corridor outside the Great Hall. Harry was striding confidently towards Ron, who was leaning against the wall, but straightened abruptly when he saw who approached. _This was it_, Harry thought. _Here's the catch_. He wouldn't be able to keep his best friends. They would hate each other.

"_Snape."_

"_Weasley."_

_There was a pause, then,_

"Bloody hell, where've you been?" Ron Weasley exclaimed. "We were supposed to meet Hermione in the library," an involuntary shudder gripped him, but he continued, "and work on History."

_Harry Snape made a non-committal shrug, "Got held up. I'm sure you were able to distract Granger for a while."_

"_Yeah, yeah," the redhead said quickly, halting the direction of that comment. "You coming now? Malfoy, too?"_

"_Yeah, but later. He wants to do his Potions practical first."_

"_Great, he can help me with mine."_

_Harry snorted. "Good luck."_

So he was a Slytherin, he'd checked the colours on his robes. Quite logical, he realised, given how he had grown up. The Hat had originally wanted to put him there, and two Marauders in his family mustn't have been a match for Snape and Malfoy.

But he could think about that later. He had a more pressing concern for the Fates to answer.

"So what's the catch?" Harry said dryly.

"What do you mean, Harry?"

"Well, apart from my – the Potters dying and the prophecy, everything else seems to be perfect. My friends are still my friends, I have family that care for me, school is okay, no-one's lying to me, I'm not treated like a house-elf, I know who I am and I'm being prepared for the inevitable. Where's the catch?"

"You said it yourself, Harry. The prophecy."

He didn't understand. "But why are you offering me…"

"No Harry, you have it backwards. We made a mistake. Not you. You were always supposed to be the saviour of the Wizarding world, and we thought that was enough hardship to put onto one boy. The rest of your life was supposed to be as wonderful and carefree as anyone's can possibly be." She smiled at his quizzical look. "_That's_ the catch. The prophecy was supposed to be your only difficulty, but things got away from us.

"We're merely explaining everything to you before we put things to rights. No-one who has that much responsibility on their shoulders or in their future should have to deal with a less-than-happy life as well. You should have family that love you, you should be trained for the final confrontation, you should know as much as you can to understand your position and your world."

"So what happens now?"

"We turn back time, to make James and Lily tell Severus about you."

"If you were going to do that all along, then why bother telling me about it?"

"It's not as simple as all that, Harry. Going back this far, changing things to this magnitude is difficult. Any changes we make must be anchored onto something, or time will disintegrate. We chose you, your soul, as the pivot point. One's soul lives forever, through time, even when time bends and when time reverses. It is complete in its existence.

"Not telling you would be disastrous. Souls are very powerful things, yours would have known it was being ripped from its current time and put in limbo until your birth again. It would have prevented us changing anything. We have to tell you, so your soul will accept our alterations."

So, he would cease to be Harry Potter. "Harry Snape," he said aloud, testing the sound of it. He just stopped himself from putting his hand out and miming an imaginary introduction: 'Hi, I'm Harry Snape'. He coloured, looking at her sheepishly. She smiled.

"Harry Snape," he said again, softly. It did not give him shudders like it would have only two days ago. Would he still be, well, _him_?

"No matter what your name is and who you grow up with," Parcae said, "We are who we are. Nothing will change that. Details will be altered, but you'll still be Harry."

He wondered if he would miss his old life. There were plenty of reasons he would be happy to leave it behind, that was certain. Maybe there would be things wrong with his new life, too. Would it be a case of 'better the devil you know'?

No. He had seen proof that his new life would be _much_ better, for himself and everyone else. Knowing that, he just couldn't return to the current one. All of the awful things would feel that much more _wrong_, if he were to ignore the Fates.

But he couldn't help feeling like he was losing a part of himself. He thought of his two best friends, and everything they'd been through together. He couldn't just ignore that.

"Will I have any memory of this life?"

She eyed him for a moment. "Very good, Harry."

"Huh?"

"You recognise the importance of knowing. Certainly, ignorance is bliss, but how will you appreciate your second life if you have nothing to compare it to?" She nodded slowly. "You will remember, in a way."

He'd had enough experience with wise, meddling old eccentrics to tell he wouldn't get a clearer answer than that. Still, he felt like he had to be certain that he wasn't going to lose the connection he had with Ron and Hermione. Being in competing houses would create a very different dynamic between them.

"Can I see how we became friends? The four of us?"

_Harry sat in the compartment by himself, mentally going over the things his father had told him. Draco was taking a little extra time talking to his mother, but Harry hated long goodbyes. He'd just held his father for a moment or two longer than he normally would have, and barely looked at Sirius, ducking to avoid the inevitable ruffle Sirius was prone to giving his hair in overly emotional moments. He hadn't wanted to see the loss he knew would be in his godfather's eyes._

_He wasn't sure how he felt about finally going to school. Draco, as a Malfoy, had the pressures of his name and social standing to maintain, so his brother had always been off cavorting or whatnot, trained well by his mother in the art of being loved by all while getting exactly what one wanted. _

_Harry, on the other hand, much preferred being by himself or with his family. His fame had multiplied this desire to be away from prying eyes, and the few times he went anywhere with Draco, he was able to put on a carefully cultivated mask that served him well. Most people were therefore put off by his cool manner or, in one memorable experience, scared absolutely shitless by the power radiating from his eyes._

_Harry snorted. If he saw a boy famous for being powerful, he wouldn't immediately pick on his friend, bragging about 'whose father was at the top of the food-chain now', and try to hex him. If Nott showed up at school, Harry would make sure he didn't sneeze without permission._

_School was going to be new for him. Not the lessons, of course, there probably wasn't a thing they taught that he couldn't already do half-asleep. The problem would be getting used to other people, sharing a dorm._

_He hoped that he and Draco would be in the same house. And maybe Zabini. Blaise had always been real with them. The others they'd been forced to socialise with couldn't see past the scar on his face._

_Through the window he saw a small group of redheads, evidently a family seeing off a few students onto the train. One poor boy was being subjected to the old spit-on-the-hanky face cleaning. Why the mother hadn't used magic, he didn't know. _

_A few minutes later, the door to the compartment slid open, and the redheaded boy from the platform stuck his head in. A small fluffy owl was twittering on his shoulder, and there was still dirt on his nose._

"_D'you mind? Everywhere else is full."_

_Harry motioned for him to sit. The owl flew up onto the baggage rack._

"_I'm Ron, by the way, Ron Weasley."_

"_Harry Snape."_

_Weasley seemed to be unable to decide between awe, fear or excitement. "So, it's true then? You really have the… the…" he getured towards his own unmarked forehead. God, he hated this part. But everyone thought they personally were perfectly within their rights to get a closer look, even if they agreed in the principle that his privacy should be respected. Hiding his irritation, he realised he wasn't going to make any friends by snubbing everyone he met._

_He held up his hair for a moment, then let it drop, clearly letting him know the subject was now closed. "What house do you think you'll be in?" he asked, wanting to continue the conversation, but on a completely different track._

"_Gryffindor, I expect. All my brothers are in it - were in it, in the case of Bill and Charlie. They've left already. Bill was Head Boy, and Charlie was Quidditch captain," he said, not in a gloating way, but in a tone that told Harry he felt quite a bit of pressure at having to follow in their footsteps. It made Harry feel a little more at ease. "Mum and Dad were both in Gryffindor, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not," Ron finished a little glumly. "What about you?"_

"_Slytherin, most likely," Harry answered. "given my family history. But I do have a fairly strong Gryffindor heritage, too, so you never know."_

_A loud bang signalled the door again, and two identical redheads bounded into the small carriage._

"_Do you mind?" Ron scowled at them._

"_Not really," one of them answered cheerfully._

"_Don't mind us," the other addressed Harry, "we're just checking up on little Ronniekins, here. First year and all." He put out his hand, "I'm George, and that dashing man there is Fred."_

_Harry sensed something not quite right, and when his hand was half an inch from George's, he felt it. _Well,_ he thought, _people who wanted to make an impression. Let's see…

_George sqawked as the Gender-Bender Jinx (patent pending) he'd concealed in his hand didn't do anything to Harry, but backfired onto him. Now sporting a very fashionable purple halter-top and matching skirt, he turned to his twin in astonishment. Ron howled in delight, clapping his hands and sending Harry a very thankful look._

"_Did you hold it the wrong way again, George?" Fred asked, searching in his pockets for the anti-jinx._

"_No," George said, puzzled, the halter top looking ridiculous on his completely flat boy's chest. "What happened?" He looked at the boy he'd meant to prank. One way of looking after Ronnie was to show any potential friends not to mess with the Weasleys. Pity Ron didn't see it that way._

_Now he caught sight of the arched eyebrow and wry smile attatched to said boy, and tapped his twin on the shoulder. "Ah, Fred?"_

"_What? Oh, here it is." Fred asked, having located the anti-jinx. He pressed it onto the exposed skin of George's arm. Nothing happened._

"_Fred," George said insistently, still staring at the black-haired boy. Ron was in silent conniptions, barely able to breathe. Fred looked up and looked at the boy for the first time. "Fred. We just tried to prank Harry Snape."_

"_Ah." Fred shot a look of disbelief at his younger brother. How in Merlin's name did he manage to befriend Harry Snape within two minutes of boarding the train?_

_They both seemed unable to decide which angle to take with this. Laugh it off and say he passed the test, he was allowed to be friends with their brother? Offer their unlimited service? Or apologise profusely and scamper out as quickly as humanly possible?_

_Harry made the decision for them. "Ron?" he asked. "What do you think?"_

_Ron knew this was just his twin brothers' twisted way of looking out for him. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to let this spectacular opportunity pass. "I think Fred gets a matching set and they keep them for the train ride," he answered, grinning._

_A moment later, Ron almost fell off his seat in mirth as Fred's robes transformed into a similar outfit. In orange._

_Fred and George looked at each other and grinned. Wearing transfigured girls' clothes was a small price to pay. They'd been through worse. As one, they knelt in front of Harry._

"_We pay homage to our superior in the art of pranking-" Fred began._

"_-and humbly wish to be forgiven-"_

"_-that in time we may be allowed to witness yet more genius-"_

"_-and possibly collaborate on future projects?"_

_It was the first time that Harry had felt comfortable in the presence of someone in awe of him. He listened to his instincts. "Go now," he intoned dramatically, "and think on your actions. Your penance will be a month without pranking your family, beginning today. When your time is served, you may approach me again." He waved a regal hand, fighting to control his laughter. "Dismissed."_

_They rose and bowed again, George shooting Ron an ill-concealed thumbs up, and exited the compartment. Once the door was closed, Ron and Harry heard them whoop with excitement and run off. _

_Ron caught his breath again and said, very seriously, "Thank you. Oh my God, thank you. Do you know what it's like to live with them?"_

"_I can guess," he grinned. They both heard an explosion of squeals and cat-calls from another carriage further down, obviously the boys had returned to their friends._

"_So why orange and purple?"_

"_Purple was the colour already in the jinx. I chose orange in deference to the greatest Quidditch team of all time."_

_Ron stared at him. "The Chudley Cannons?" he choked._

_Harry narrowed his eyes, ready to defend their losing streak for the duration of the ride. "Yes."_

"_I don't believe it! I've been trying to convince everyone how great they are… You really support the Cannons!"_

_For the next twenty minutes, they extolled the virtues and discussed the merits of possibly the worst Quidditch team in British history. During a particularly animated description of a particular move their chasers had performed, the door to their compartment opened once more._

_Draco stood in the doorway, assessing the boy laughing with his brother. Then he rolled his eyes._

"_Don't tell me you've actually found another human being on the planet who thinks the Cannons are worth more than target practice."_

"_Don't get me started on that, Draco," Harry said playfully._

"_No, I can see you've been started already," he smirked. He sat next to Harry with an air of granting the others permission to be in his presence. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"_

"_Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley."_

_Harry saw that Draco hadn't recognised the name, which meant that the Weasleys were not among the influential families in high society. He gave the blond boy a warning look. _Don't you dare scare off or insult the first friend I've managed to make at this school,_ he thought._

_Draco saw Harry was willing to defend the boy and let it go. For now. "You support the Cannons? Damn, Harry, this disease is catching."_

"_Yeah," Ron could tell he was teasing. "I've read everything ever written about them."_

"_Harry's been to every game since we were seven," Draco said._

_Harry saw the dejected look on the other boy's face. "I've only seen one, and that was a favour from a friend who went. He gave me his ominoculars."_

"_We'll go to the next game together," Harry announced. He was beginning to get a feel for the Weasleys' financial status. The three of them had outdated and well-loved robes. Add Draco's reaction … Harry was willing to bet they literally lived on magic._

"_But, but…well…No," he said, defiant and slightly offended._

_Damn. Apparently he didn't know the difference between charity and generosity._

"_You'd better take the offer," Draco said warningly. "He's very stubborn about getting his way, and," he held a hand to the side of his mouth, blocking it from Harry's view and stage-whispered, " he's never had anyone else obsessed enough to go with him."_

_Harry hit him then turned back to Ron. "Please?" he asked._

_Ron smiled. "Well, I suppose I could ask Dad."_

"_Cool."_

_A nervous-looking boy passed the slightly open door. Draco caught his eye and nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Longbottom."_

_The boy nodded in return. "Malfoy," he squeaked, and hurried off._

_The owl chose that moment to declare his presence, nipping Ron on the ear and zooming about at an alarming speed._

"_That's Pig, by the way. Happy little thing, isn't he?"_

"_Pig?" Harry asked, staring pointedly at the jittery owl._

"'_Happy' hardly covers it," Draco snorted, his eyes following its manic flight path._

"_Fred and George gave me a spell to turn him yellow. Want to see?"_

"_Sure."_

_Ron caught the little bird, cleared his throat, and was just pointing his wand when the door slid open yet again to reveal a bushy-haired girl._

"_Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one." She barely waited for a response when she saw Ron's wand out. "Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see then."_

"_Sunshine daisies, butter mellow, make this crazy owl turn yellow."_

_No-one was surprised when nothing happened. The girl looked unconvinced. "Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it?" She continued in a superior tone. "I've tried a few spells already, but they've all worked for me. For example…"_

_She never got to dazzle them with her skill, as before her eyes, the hyperactive owl gave a squawk and turned a bright shade of yellow._

_There was silence for two seconds, then the boys burst into laughter. Roaring and rolling on the seats, they howled at her. "The look on your face!" Draco crowed. _

"_Priceless!" Ron gaffawed. He'd spent an hour with this boy and had spent the whole time laughing._

_She looked rather put out. But it obviously didn't deter her from poking her nose in._

"_I'm Hermione Granger." She sat opposite Harry and Draco, but managed to put three feet between herself and Ron. "And you are?"_

"_Ron Weasley," he managed, with a mouthful of pastie._

_She looked vaguely repulsed as she said unconvincingly, "Pleasure." She turned to Draco, an eyebrow raised._

_Draco was wearing his best public face when he said, "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."_

_Granger giggled. "Shaken, not stirred?" They stared at her, wondering if the girl was sane. "Oh, really," she huffed. "You've never seen James Bond?"_

"_Never met the man," Draco sniffed. "Does he work for the Ministry?"_

_She snorted, a scornful look crossing her face. "As if a Muggle movie character would - actually," she stopped. "You never really know, do you?" she said, mostly to herself. She shook her head, then looked expectantly at Harry._

"_Harry Snape."_

"_Are you really?I know all about you, of course."_

"_Oh, you do?" Draco crossed his arms. "How, exactly?" he asked coolly._

"_Honestly, don't you lot read? He's in 'Modern Magical History' and 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts' and 'Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century'."_

"_Oh yes," Draco said. "You believe that tripe, do you? Page 148 of The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts clearly states," he put on a mystical and melodramatic narrator's voice, "'But the evil and wretched wizard was no match for the purest of the Light, the powerful Harry Potter. In an instant, the greatest of all beings drained the magic out of his enemy, and smote his remains to the ground, reducing the once-feared spectre into mere mist and memory.' Oh, please."_

_She wasn't impressed, and stood to leave. "You three better get into your robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon."_

_She turned, exiting the carriage. Just before she closed the door again, she said to Ron, "You've got dirt on your nose, by the way. Did you know? Just there."_

_As she tapped the side of her own nose, Harry gave her a farewell gesture by turning Pig purple with green spots. _

Harry was grinning ear-to-ear when the images faded from view. He was so glad that his friendship with the other Gryffindors would be as similar as possible. He would have been devastated if he'd lost his two best friends, but he realised that he would have felt the loss of the entire Weasley family just as keenly. With that introduction, he felt confidant that he'd still receive a knitted jumper with his initial on it for Christmas in his first year.

And Neville hadn't changed a bit.

tbc

Ever grateful to the lovely Ladybug!


	5. Outtake: When It Alteration Finds

Just for you, Ladybug!

Disclaimer in chapter 1.

Gypsy

OUTTAKE: **When it Alteration Finds **

"Ummm," Harry began, not sure how to bring up the topic. "I don't suppose…if, ah…"

Parcae smiled. The water shimmered.

"_Snape?" someone called behind him. "Harry?"_

_Harry turned and saw Ginny Weasley standing in the middle of the corridor, hugging her books to her chest rather nervously._

"_Yes?" That's right, he'd forgotten to set the next DC meeting, maybe she'd come to remind him, but why was she nervous? Was he really that scary?_

"_I – er…Well," she began, colouring slightly, "I was wondering if, er…" she trailed off as a few students passed them, and looked hopefully at a door in the corridor. He nodded and they went into the empty classroom._

"_I wanted to know if… if you wanted to go to the ball with me."_

_Oh. His face remained stoic. "You know who I am?" he asked without emotion._

"_Yes," she said, frowning, realising he was going to dismiss her for her family's financial status._

"_You know what I have to do?"_

"_Yes," she said again, now thinking he was going to pull out the I'm-too-important-for-you-because-I'm-the-Boy-Who-Lived trumpcard, not that she'd heard him do it before, Malfoy usually took care of that._

"_You know what I'm capable of? How dangerous I am?"_

"_What on earth are you going on about? It's a **dance**, for Merlin's sake," she returned hotly, now uncaring if she pissed him off, certain he was going to turn her down. "And, of course I bloody well know what you can do. Defence Club, remember?"_

_His impassive face broke into the biggest smile she'd ever seen on him. He stared at her, almost in awe, then coughed and attempted to school his features down into the non-expression he was wearing before. He wasn't too sucessful._

_He took a deep breath, and the mask was back. "Ask me again tomorrow. Don't tell anyone."_

_He turned and left the room, leaving her completely bewildered. Usually she could tell if a guy liked her or not, but this was bizarre. Having to wait until tomorrow was a little weird, but she would give him until dinner before she gave up on him._

"What the hell was that?" Harry exploded out of his chair and gestured wildly at the blank puddle. "Why didn't I tell her 'yes'?" he screeched. "Why did –"

She held up a hand, then pointed down again.

_Harry stood over a cauldron in his lab at the Manor, brewing with quick, sure movements. Malfoy was leaning against the wall watching him with a smirk._

_The door opened and Snape walked in. "What are you two doing here? It's a school night." He looked at the potion ingredients and watched Harry's motions for a minute. "And whom, may I ask," he said in a darker tone, "is that for?"_

_Malfoy's smirk became wider. "Ginny Weasley," he said mockingly. "She asked him to the ball today."_

_Snape sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was hoping for a little more time before he'd have to deal with this. "Black is going to have a field day," he muttered. At least he understood his son. Every other girl that had approached Harry (and there were many, if Draco was to be believed) had been summarily dismissed without a second glance. Harry obviously felt strongly about the Weasley girl._

_Harry was staring at his father, daring him to say anything, waiting for a negative response. Instead, Severus Snape took the prepared ginger root and removed half. "Remember when we planned this? Hers will be different to the others we've done. For this… type…you should use less ginger and more belladonna." He took the plant and shreadded a little more onto the work bench. "Much more caution is required in these situations," he said slowly._

"_Thanks, Dad," Harry said softly, and they looked at each other, neither talking about potions._

"_Well," Malfoy announced loudly. "Now you don't require my services for the final step," he gestured to the two of them, "I'll be returning to school where a pretty Ravenclaw is awaiting my presence."_

_Harry snorted. His father would be of better assistance anyway. Less…vocal._

The water swirled and stilled.

_Just before dinner, Ginny Weasley approached Harry as he was walking up from the Slytherin common room with Malfoy. She was ready for any response he had to give her, not really understanding what yesterday had been all about. Without needing to embarrass herself by asking to speak to him alone, Malfoy left Harry after a quick parting word in his ear._

_Harry motioned for her to follow him, and they stopped around the corner where there usually wasn't much traffic. Before she could gather herself to ask **that** question again, he touched her hair._

_He fingered the few strands that fell across her face and tucked them behind her ear. "I've been wanting to do that for months," he admitted quietly. "It's just as silky as it looks."_

_She stared up at him, breathless. Hesitantly, he rested the hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her to him. The kiss was simple and chaste. She was happy to start slow, hell, she was ecstatic they were starting at all._

"_Um, Harry? What was yesterday about?"_

_He snapped out of his happy-dreamy-first-kiss moment and became all business, lifting a finger to her lips. Mesmerized by the calm power that radiated off him, she watched silently and he pulled a potion vial out of his pocket, and something else that glinted in the low light._

_He gave her the potion. "Drink it?" he asked simply. She frowned at him warily, wondering if this was indeed the stupidest thing she'd ever done. But she saw the hope in his eyes and tossed it back, surprised to find it tasted of cinnamon. He held his hand out for the glass bottle and replaced the stopper, putting it back in his robes. Then he held up a delicate silver dewdrop necklace, with some unidentifiable swirling fog inside it. Undoing the clasp, he walked around her to fasten it at her neck._

_She turned to ask him what all this was about, the gift taking her by surprise, but he silenced her again. She watched as he closed his eyes, then gasped when he opened them again, they were glowing._

_He spoke. Low, raspy, sibilant sounds. She kept very still, not knowing what was going on, but trusting him nonetheless._

_When he was done, she felt a pulse through the necklace and where it rested above her heart. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, they were back to normal._

"_Never take it off."_

_She nodded her compliance. "What…why did… does this mean that…?"_

_He smiled again. "Ginny Weasley, will you go out with me?"_

"_Yes!" She threw her arms around him and his arms went around her reflexively, but tightened after he regained his balance. Still giddy, she pulled back and asked him, "So now will you tell me what you did to me?"_

"_All of my family are protected. Now you are too."_

_She tilted her head in question. "Protected? How?"_

"_I developed the spell after I was old enough to understand my…position. My father and godfather have tattoos, my godmother wears earrings, Draco and Ron have rings and Hermione has an anklet."_

_She felt special to be the only one with a necklace, a gift typically associated with romance. "Thank you."_

_He smiled and took her hand. "Walk to dinner with me?"_

tbc

There, Ladybug. Happy now?

Gypsy.


End file.
